Theories supporting the role of hrm in emerging technologies Dissertation

Theories supporting the role of hrm in emerging technologies - Dissertation Example Institutional theory is somewhat akin to the role theory, which argues that individuals respond to normative pressures as they seek approval for their performance in socially defined roles (Chuler, Jackson and Luo, 2004, pp.15). Institutional theory likens organizations to the individual as they function as social entities that also look for legitimacy and social acceptance. Organizations, in this perspective, are expected to conform because this is the only way that they are recognized and approved – variables that support their survival in environments that have multiple constituencies that control their needed resources (Chuler, Jackson and Luo, pp.15). In applying the institutional theory, there are the cases of multinational corporations and the emergent internationalization of management. This theory is particularly significant in understanding the HRM practices of these organizations because of the view that socially constructed beliefs, rules and norms affect and exert influence over organizations and that, today, organizations (and their suborganizations) are under pressure to align their operations and adapt with their institutional environment (Stahl and Bjorkman, 2006, pp.463). Multinational companies are spread across locations with diverse environments. Institutional theory focuses on the variables that forces HRM practices to adapt to this condition. The institutional variables that exert influence over an organization and its employees come from the institutional factors both from the parent organization and the local environment in which its subsidiary operates. According to Stahl and Bjorkman (pp.465): In the local context, the labour laws and regulations restrict the range of possible HRM practices, local managers have taken-for-granted views about management practices that influences the policies and practices that they suggest for the subsidiary, strong local professional norms may exist, and processes of institutionalization might a lso take place among MNCs (multinational companies) in the local country. Hence, cultural-cognitive and normative institutional processes enfolding in the local context may play important roles in explaining HRM practices. Understandably, numerous studies that cite institutional theory and its relations with HRM practices were undertaken since the 1990s. The body of literature available today demonstrates how the theory supports the role and function of HR for modern organization. For instance, Walter Powell and Paul DiMaggio successfully demonstrated that organizations evolve because they are driven by coercive mechanisms, mimetic and normative forces. Their work argued that these pressures force organization to move to one direction, making them more alike in the process. On the other hand, Greenwood and Hinings used institutional theory to demonstrate the details that were lacking in Powell and DiMaggio’s work. Specifically, they addressed other variables such as the uniqu eness present in organizations as a result of diversity in interests as well as the role of human agency. What they were able to suggest was a condition wherein organizations are embedded in an institutional context. What this means is that institutional pressures such as organizational context, intra-organizational relationships and decision-making of individuals within the organization, makes change difficult. By proposing that organizations remove themselves from their respective institutional con

Higher education in the USA Essay Example for Free

Higher education in the USA Essay Faktorami, opredelyayuschimi yavlyaetsya li uchrezhdenie odnim iz luchshih, ili odnim iz menee prestizhnyh, yavlyayutsya: kachestvo obucheniya fakultetov, kachestvo oborudovaniya dlya issledovanij, uroven finansirovaniya bibliotek, specialnyh programm, i t. d. , a takzhe kompetentnost i chislo pretendentov na priem, to est naskolko dannoe uchrezhdenie svobodno v vybore studentov. Vse `eti faktory dopolnyayut drug druga. Voobsche v Soedinennyh SHtatah priznano, chto est bolee i menee predpochtitelnye uchrezhdeniya dlya obucheniya i polucheniya vysshego obrazovaniya. Bolee predpochtitelnye uchrezhdeniya obychno, no ne vsegda, yavlyayutsya bolee dorogostoyaschimi, i okonchanie odnogo iz nih mozhet prinesti znachitelnye preimuschestva, poskolku kazhdyj chelovek ischet vozmozhnost zanyatosti i socialnuyu podvizhnost v predelah obschestva. Konkurs na postuplenie v takoj kolledzh pobuzhdaet milliony starsheklassnikov sdavat SAT kazhdyj god. No nedavno akcent na vstupitelnyh `ekzamenah shiroko kritikovalsya v Soedinennyh SHtatah, potomu chto `ekzameny pozvolyayut opredelit kompetentnost v matematike i anglijskom yazyke. V zaschituispolzovaniya   `ekzamenov kak kriteriev pri postuplenii, rukovoditeli mnogih universitetov govoryat, chto ispolzovanie SAT pozvolyaet spravedlivo reshit, kogo prinyat, kogda imeetsya 10 ili 12 pretendentov na odno mesto. Mogut li kolledzhi i universitety Ameriki osnovyvatsya na ih rezultatah? Priblizitelno 12 millionov studentov v nastoyaschee vremya poseschayut shkoly vysshego obrazovaniya v Amerike. Oni studenty v obschestve, kotoroe verit v svyaz mezhdu obrazovaniem i demokratiej. Odnako, mnozhestvo amerikancev ne udovletvoreny sostoyaniem vysshego obrazovaniya v ih strane. Vozmozhno, naibolee shiroko rasprostranennoe nedovolstvo vyzyvaet uchebnyj plan kolledzha v celom i shirokij diapazon dopolnitelnyh zanyatij v chastnosti. V seredine 80-yh godov proshlogo veka Associaciya Amerikanskih Kolledzhej (AAC) vypustila doklad, v kotorom prizyvala k prepodavaniyu bazovoj chasti obschih znanij vsem studentam kolledzha. Nacionalnyj Institut Obrazovaniya (NIE) vypustil podobnyj zhe doklad- Uchastie v obuchenii. V svoem doklade NIE zaklyuchil, chto uchebnyj plan kolledzha stal chrezmerno professionalno-tehnicheskim i svyazannym s rabotoj. V nem takzhe preduprezhdaetsya, chto obrazovanie kolledzha bolshe ne mozhet razvivat v studentah razdelennye cennosti i znaniya, chto tradicionno svyazyvayut Amerikancev vmeste. Sereznoe obvinenie. Dejstvitelno li `eto tak? V nekotoroj stepeni na dannyj moment `eto vozmozhno. Konechno, nekotorye studenty zakanchivayut svoe obuchenie bez kursa po Zapadnoj Civilizacii, ne upominaya drugie mirovye kultury. Drugie ostavlyayut kolledzh, ne izuchiv nauku ili pravitelstvo. V otvet, mnogie kolledzhi nachali peresmatrivat osnovnoj uchebnyj plan, s kotorym vse studenty dolzhny spravlyatsya. `Eti problemy priznak togo, chto vysshee obrazovanie v Amerike menyaetsya, kak `eto imelo mesto vsegda v ego istorii. I, kak v proshlom, `eto izmenenie mozhet idti v neozhidannyh napravleniyah. Puritane osnovyvali kolledzhi, chtoby obuchat ministrov. No ih studenty proyavili sebya kak osnovopolozhniki pervoj v mire konstitucionnoj demokratii. Kolledzhi predostavleniya zemli byli osnovany, chtoby prepodavat selskoe hozyajstvo i proektirovanie stroitelyam Amerikanskogo Zapada. Segodnya, mnogie iz `etih kolledzhej yavlyayutsya veduschimi shkolami v nauchno-issledovatelskom mire. Amerikancy vsegda delali stavku na sozdanie sistemnoj raboty. Oni imeyut osobo veskie prichiny dlya vypolneniya `etogo v oblasti obrazovaniya. Lyudi v Soedinennyh SHtatah segodnya stalkivayutsya s vazhnymi voprosami: CHto yavlyaetsya nadlezhaschej rolyu Ameriki kak strany s samoj staroj v mire konstitucionnoj demokratiej; s samoj bolshoj `ekonomikoj; yavlyayuschejsya pervoj yadernoj derzhavoj? Amerikancy uvazhayut svoe pravo vyrazit mnenie po vsem `etim problemam. No lyudi Soedinennyh SHtatov takzhe gluboko osoznayut, chto takie problemy dolzhny rassmatrivatsya v komplekse. CHtoby prinimat uchastie v novyh voznikayuschih problemah, bolshinstvo amerikancev chuvstvuet, chto oni nuzhdayutsya vo vsej informacii, kotoruyu oni mogut poluchit. Kolledzhi i universitety naibolee vazhnye centry takogo izucheniya. I nezavisimo ot togo, chto mogut trebovatsya usovershenstvovaniya, ih buduschee polnostyu garantiruetsya amerikanskoj zhazhdoj progressa i horoshej informirovannosti. Fakticheski, sleduyuschej zadachej amerikanskogo obrazovaniya mozhet stat tendenciya dlya lyudej prodolzhit ih obrazovanie v kolledzhe dlya dalnejshej zhizni. Slovar. A Accept Prinimat Achieves Dostigat Accomplishment Vypolnenie Account Schet Adequate Adekvatnyj Admission Dopusk Admitted Dopuschennyj Advantage Preimuschestvo Agriculture Selskoe hozyajstvo. Amount Kolichestvo Applicant Pretendent Application Zayavlenie Association of American Colleges(AAC) Associaciya Amerikanskih Kolledzhej Available Dostupnyj Aware Znaya B Bachelors degree Stepen Bakalavra Be either Byt takzhe Beyond Vne Bond Obyazatelstvo C Certainly Konechno Community Soobschestvo Competition Sorevnovanie Competence Kompetentnost Complete Polnyj Comprise Vklyuchit Condition Uslovie(sostoyanie) Contain Soderzhat Conversely Naoborot Costly Dorogostoyaschij Criticized Kritikuemyj Currently V nastoyaschee vremya Curriculum Uchebnyj plan D. Demand Trebovanie Democracy Demokratiya Desirable ZHelatelnyj Determining Opredelenie Distinction Razlichie Duration Prodolzhitelnost E Elective Izbiratelnyj Emphasis Akcent Employment Zanyatost Equal prestige Ravnyj prestizh Excessively vocational and work-related CHrezmerno professionalno- tehnicheskij i svyazannyj s rabotoj Exist Suschestvovat G Graduate Diplomirovannyj specialist Government Pravitelstvo H Higher education Vysshee obrazovanie I Impression Vpechatlenie Independent Nezavisimyj Interviews Intervyu Issued Vypuschennyj L Lead Liderstvo. Majority Bolshinstvo Masters degree Stepen mastera Measure Mera Mention Upominanie Merely Prosto Might Mog by N National Institute of Education(NIE) Nacionalnyj Institut Obrazovaniya Nuclear power YAdernaya derzhava O Offer Predlozhenie Obtain Poluchit Opinions Mneniya Opportunities Vozmozhnosti Outstanding Vydayuschijsya P Painfully Gluboko Particular Specificheskij(osobennyj) Percent Procent Perhaps Vozmozhno Proper Nadlezhaschij Provide Obespechit Public Gosudarstvennyj(obschestvennyj) Puritans Puritane Private CHastnyj R Receive Poluchit. Recently Nedavno Recognized Priznannyj Recommendations Rekomendacii Regard Otnoshenie Reinforce Ukrepit Respect Uvazhenie S Satisfactory Udovletvoritelnyj Satisfied Udovletvorennyj Seek Iskat Similar Podobnyj Simply Prosto Scholars Uchenye Scientific research Nauchnoe issledovanie Social mobility Socialnaya mobilnost Success Uspeh T Traditional bind Tradicionno svyazyvayut The shared values and knowledge Razdelennye cennosti i znanie Q Quality of research facilities Kachestvo sredstv obsluzhivaniya issledovaniya W Whether Li Widespread SHiroko rasprostranennyj.

Cognitive Turn and Linguistic Turn :: Philosophy Symbols Papers

Cognitive and Linguistic Turn My first goal is to question a received view about the development of Analytical Philosophy. According to this received view Analytical Philosophy is born out of a Linguistic Turn establishing the study of language as the foundation of the discipline; this primacy of language is then overthrown by the return of the study of mind as philosophia prima through a second Cognitive Turn taken in the mid-sixties. My contention is that this picture is a gross oversimplification and that the Cognitive Turn should better be seen as an extension of the Linguistic one. Indeed, if the Cognitive Turn gives explicit logical priority to the study of mind over the study of language, one of its central features is to see the mind as a representational system offering no substantial difference with a linguistic one. However, no justification is offered for the fundamental assimilation of the nature of a mental representation with that of a linguistic symbol supporting this picture of the mind, although the idea that a system of mental representations is identical in structure with a system of linguistic symbols has been argued over and over. I try to demonstrate this point through a close critical examination of Fodor's paradigmatic notion of 'double reduction.' My second claim is that the widespread contemporary assimilation of a mental representation with a symbol of a linguistic kind is no more than a prejudice. Finally I indicate that this prejudice cannot survive a rigorous critical examination. 1. Introduction: linguistic symbol and mental representation A good deal of that important branch of contemporary philosophy which goes by the loose term of Analytical Philosophy lives, in my opinion, with a distorted representation of its own past, and consequently, with an inaccurate appreciation of the nature of its own achievements. As a matter of fact the belief is widely spread among analytical circles that the birth of Analytical Philosophy is the result of a Linguistic Turn taken by its founding figures G. Frege and B. Russell and then expanded into various directions by their notorious or less notorious followers. (1) To put it in a nutshell, the Linguistic Turn — of which historians give in fact conflicting accounts — (2) can be characterized by saying that it turned (better said, intended to) every philosophical problem — and most of all every psychological and epistemological one — into a problem about language, or at least into a problem dependent upon problems about language.

Leadership Essay -- Communication, Accountability

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE In this section of the paper, I will discuss current relevant literary articles that are related to ineffective leader skills, effective leadership skills, and inadequate communication skills. These scholarly references will show how others are dealing with the issues of ineffective leadership skill. It will also illustrate what can be done to improve poor leadership behavior. By reviewing these references, I will be able to help my organization become more successful. First, Allen and Dennis states leadership and accountability go hand in hand. This study shows that nurses are incompetent because they lack sufficient leadership skills. They do not have the ability and skills to manage with compassion and/or competence. Also, they do not empower their team to be sufficient. So why were they hired in the first place if they lacked the necessary skills to perform their jobs? Sometimes, organizations fill the opening because they are desperate to get help. But this causes hospitals to fail. When managers are ineffective, there is overall failure. Managers and nurses alike lose sight of their purpose because they are overworked and lack guidance from senior management. They are told to work harder and smarter but do not have the necessary tools to perform their jobs successfully. By providing efficient training and tools, these nurses were able to provide better care and became more sufficient (Allen and Dennis, 2010). Another problem is ineffective communication. According Herman Aguinis, managers should listen to others, process the information and communicate effectively. They should also instill trust and provide proper direction to their team. As leaders, they should guide, develop and motivate to im... ...s fail to change their culture, they are bound to be unsuccessful (Want, 2006). Finally, according to Wilkins there are more than 11 million employees working in the field of healthcare services. To retain these employees, leaders should be equipped to keep these employees motivated. A national study was done in 2003 through 2004 by Healthcare@Work showed healthcare employees have the lowest level of commitment to their job. The study indicated that healthcare managers are lacking the necessary leadership skills that keep employees committed and motivated. The study also showed that healthcare organizations should look deeper into its management culture and rethink the effectiveness of its current leaders. Healthcare@Work found that challenges in the workplace if ineffective leadership and what steps needs to be done to improve this problem (Wilkins, 2004).

Critical Analysis: Life of Pi

By examining the novel Life of Pi, the three part novel by Yann Martel, one can observe the psyche of a man who has gone through a horrendous tragedy that has affected his life dramatically.   Martel chose the differing setting of India, Canada, the Pacific Ocean, and briefly in Mexico during the nineteen seventies.   From the conflicting cultures of the setting, the protagonist, Pi must deal with many adversities, yet he has survived all of them.   The novel is narrated in first person with Pi taking on the role of narrator. This gives an insight into the working of Pi’s mind.   A privileged glimpse of how an individual responds to the task of survival makes one wonder how he/she would respond in a similar situation.   It also shows what an individual will do to deal with the events that are just too horrible to accept. The plot is told in flashback and as a framed story.   The exposition is established early in the novel.   We learn that Pi is a man from India who now resides in Canada.   It is obvious that there has been some tragedy in his life, but it is not revealed until later.   Pi is married with a son and daughter.   The author discovers that he has a passion for cooking with lots of spices. This could be a way for him to connect with his past in India.   He uses so many layers of spices that it is just too intense for the author.   His overly spicy food is symbolic of his past.   Pi has tolerated his circumstances, but it is just too tragic for others to be able to identify.   As part one unfolds, Pi relates the history of his childhood in India.   His father had run the Pondicherry Zoo, and that is where he learns about the nature of animals as well as how human nature can parallel animals.   Pi is convinced that the animals are better off in the zoo that in the wild because some one must take care of them.   He also learns the way a human can achieve dominance over them. The conflict of the novel is established in the trip to his new home and the completely different culture he will encounter.   Pi’s family is killed in a shipwreck and he is the lone survivor.   He must now fight the forces of nature to stay alive.   Then he must learn how to deal the events that he has endured.   Another conflict in the story deals with religion. Pi was born into a Hindu family and throughout the novel he states that he considers himself primarily a Hindu.   Along the way, he discovered Christianity and a priest convinced him that he needed to become a Christian and Pi agrees.   His parents attend his baptism even though they do not accept the religion.   Finally Pi meets a Muslim and is persuaded to convert to Islam.   Again he embraces another religion.   Pi decides that he can be all of the religions. The rising action of the novel quickly becomes evident when Pi begins to relate his voyage to Canada.   His father decides that the family must move because of political unrest in their homeland.   Most of the animals are sold and the ones that couldn’t be sold are taken of the boat with the family.   After an accident, the boat sinks.   Pi, however, is the only one from his family to survive the shipwreck.   He and a zebra escape on a lifeboat, but the zebra is injured in the fall. Shortly after the life boat falls into the water, Pi spots his father’s tiger, Richard Parker.   The human name of the tiger is symbolic of the animalistic instinct of man.   The three survivors are soon joined by a hyena and an Orangutan.   At first all of the animals coexist with each other.   It is not long before the hyena chews the leg of zebra for a meal.   He then basically eats the animal alive.   The symbolism of the savagery of survival is evident in this incident. The hyena soon turns on the Orangutan and kills her as she is looking for her two sons.   Pi is amazed how human like she behaves.   Pi and Richard Parker become weary and dehydrated.   Pi learns how to fish and make drinking water out of sea water.   He uses his basic instincts for his survival.   The tiger finally kills the hyena, and even though Pi is glad that the hyena is gone, he becomes fearful of the tiger.   He realizes that he must gain dominance of the animal. He resorts back to the knowledge he gained at his father’s zoo.   Pi and Richard Parker are joined by another man and while Pi is suffering temporary blindness due to dehydration.   After battling hunger, lack of water, and the elements of nature, Pi’s lifeboat comes ashore in Mexico.   Richard Parker escapes into a wooded area and Pi is taken to the hospital. Two Japanese officials come to the hospital to interview Pi to gain information about the sinking of their ship.   He recounts the whole story of the sinking and his survival on the lifeboat.   After they listen to the story they leave to discuss the information they have just received.   They return after a short while and inform Pi that they do not believe his story. He then relates the story of his survival only substitutes humans for the animals.   They are horrified and he then asked them which story they prefer.   The men admit that the one with the animals was easier to accept.   It is then that the climax becomes evident.   The whole story of the animals was made up by Pi so that he could deal with the events that had happened to him.   The zebra had been a sailor, the hyena was an insane cook, and the orangutan was Pi’s mother.   Richard Parker is symbolic of   Pi’s animal instincts.   He finally gains dominance over them and it is his animal instincts that can alone help him survive. The falling action comes about when the two Japanese officials write their report.   They realize that Pi has no knowledge that can actually help them understand the wreck of their vessel.   They resolve that Pi’s survival with a ferocious tiger was unique story.   They, along with Pi, did what they had to do in their mind to be able to accept what had actually happened. Pi is a character that embodies the whole idea of survival.   All people go through adversity, and all have to learn to survive.   Many times it is painful.   An individual must come to grips in his/her own mind with what they must accept to continue on with daily life.   Martel takes this into consideration when writing this story.   Not only does he engage the reader by using suspense and the element of surprise, but he teaches mankind that we do what we have to do to cope. He also makes the point that even though humans have come so far with their scientific knowledge and technology yet they still have animalistic instincts when it comes to survival.   He could have set the story in the distant past, but instead he set it in the recent past.   There was an immense amount of technological and scientific knowledge in the nineteen seventies.   If our society were to lose our modern conveniences in a natural disaster, people would still revert to their instincts for continued existence. Works Cited Martel, Yann.   Life of Pi.   Canada: Random House of Canada, 2001.

Free Essays on War Photographer Opened Windows

With the push of a button, and a click of a camera, photographer Robert Capa brought images to the world never seen by man before. One of the more famous war photographers, Capa’s photos showed us what our soldiers faced. When the German army occupied France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg, Capa was there to capture it all. Over 6,500 ships, 12,000 in aircraft were supposed to take one million men and their supplies to England. To toy with the Germans, they even sent a fake first army, including dummy soldiers, tanks, and tent encampments. The night before D-Day, airborne divisions discovered German’s hidden batteries, obstacles, and mines along the French coast. When thousands of U.S. troops invaded, Germans, unexpected of our arrival, were caught off guard. Capa and the unit, to which he was assigned, were dropped off 100 miles from the beach. There he fought bullets above, below, dodged German obstacles, and dove for cover so that he could get two rolls of snapsh ots i! n as well. He developed and sent the pictures to Life magazine, then rushed back to the war scene because after we finally got through the German line, the invasion of Europe had just begun. Capa had been counted a casualty, and many were surprised to see him rejoin his troop at Bayeux. Germany hid in bushes and War Photographer Opened Windows made traps so that U.S. tanks got stuck in mud and then was seized. Finally the U.S. struck back and saturated German troops with explosives. Capa and the U.S. soldiers were unable to walk a few steps without stepping on the dead, of those who were dying. Capa’s next mission was to capture the liberation of Paris. He captured cheering crowds and soldiers again and seemed to think it was dull. Returning to the front, he went to Bastogne and saw the last of Adolf Hitler’s reign. He captured U.S. troops parachuting in, and then he himself spent the night in a parachute and went back to Paris. When concentration camps... Free Essays on War Photographer Opened Windows Free Essays on War Photographer Opened Windows With the push of a button, and a click of a camera, photographer Robert Capa brought images to the world never seen by man before. One of the more famous war photographers, Capa’s photos showed us what our soldiers faced. When the German army occupied France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg, Capa was there to capture it all. Over 6,500 ships, 12,000 in aircraft were supposed to take one million men and their supplies to England. To toy with the Germans, they even sent a fake first army, including dummy soldiers, tanks, and tent encampments. The night before D-Day, airborne divisions discovered German’s hidden batteries, obstacles, and mines along the French coast. When thousands of U.S. troops invaded, Germans, unexpected of our arrival, were caught off guard. Capa and the unit, to which he was assigned, were dropped off 100 miles from the beach. There he fought bullets above, below, dodged German obstacles, and dove for cover so that he could get two rolls of snapsh ots i! n as well. He developed and sent the pictures to Life magazine, then rushed back to the war scene because after we finally got through the German line, the invasion of Europe had just begun. Capa had been counted a casualty, and many were surprised to see him rejoin his troop at Bayeux. Germany hid in bushes and War Photographer Opened Windows made traps so that U.S. tanks got stuck in mud and then was seized. Finally the U.S. struck back and saturated German troops with explosives. Capa and the U.S. soldiers were unable to walk a few steps without stepping on the dead, of those who were dying. Capa’s next mission was to capture the liberation of Paris. He captured cheering crowds and soldiers again and seemed to think it was dull. Returning to the front, he went to Bastogne and saw the last of Adolf Hitler’s reign. He captured U.S. troops parachuting in, and then he himself spent the night in a parachute and went back to Paris. When concentration camps...

Learn Business English - The Definitive Guide

Learn Business English - The Definitive Guide Learning Business English, like any language, is a process that involves dedication and many different strategies. You need to approach learning Business English in a long-term, holistic, dynamic, and authentic way. Strengthen Your Grammar You must have strong English grammar for business writing. People simply won’t take you seriously if your writing is full of grammatical and punctuation mistakes. Strengthening grammar can seem frustrating and never-ending, but there are several small, daily actions you can take: Use Grammarly - Grammarly is a free app you can use through Google Chrome. It checks any and everything you write online, and you are able to upload documents to the site as well. There is a paid version as well, but for non-native writers I find the free version to be better because it focuses on basic and common grammar issues (the paid version identifies more sophisticated issues that aren’t applicable to all types of writing). Grammarly will help you identify and correct your mistakes. Once you know what your mistakes are, you can study up on those areas here: (grammar only) and punctuation) This blog post and video explain a technique that can help you improve your use of prepositions. Use this same technique for all sorts of grammar. Read our blog! There are lots of posts about different grammar topics, such as Pronoun Antecedent Errors here. Browse through or search by topic. Subscribe to the blog by entering your email in the field on the right-hand side of the screen. Read, Read, and Read Some More Reading is the best way to improve your Business English vocabulary and Business English writing skills. Reading anything and everything is good, but to really build effective business communication in English, you need to read business texts. Here are some good options: The Harvard Business Review. Sign up for a free account and access up to 15 articles per month (without an account, you can only access five articles per month). There are hundreds of articles written at a high level of Business English on all sorts of Business related topics. The Wall Street Journal. There is lots of good content here, though you may need a subscription or at least an account. The Economist. Again, there is good content, but you can only access a certain number of articles each month without an account. Forbes.You'll find lots of shorter articles that are easy to read, as well as longer, more in-depth stories. Paul Krugman’s blog in the New York Times This is a blog, so you willnotice some differences between this and a standard newspaper article (Use of â€Å"I," a more casual and conversational tone, etc.) You can read up to ten free articles per month at nytimes.com. After that, you need a subscription. Paul Krugman is an excellent author, and as an economist, he addresses finance and other technical topics. Fortune Magazine. This publication is most famous for its â€Å"Fortune 500,† the list of the 500 most powerful companies around the world. Bloomberg Businessweek. Another trove of well-written business news. Entrepreneur. This is geared towards entrepreneurs, as you might expect from the title and has many well written articles that will help your business skills as well as modeling good English writing. Fast Company. This publication focuses on innovative and creative ideas, so it’s useful to non-native readers from companies where time-tested approaches are valued more than innovation. It will stretch your business approach as well as providing a good model of business English. The key is to consistently read business texts from a variety of sources dailyto strengthen your business English vocabulary, reading comprehension, and ultimately writing skills. Aim to set 15 minutes aside each day to read good business English. Enjoy it with your morning coffee or tea! Write More Often Reading alone won’t strengthen your writing. Like any skill, business writing takes practice. So, to improve your business English writing skills, you need to write, and write often! Here are some ideas for how to get started: Take some of the topics that you usually write about in your field and write these in English. Google â€Å"business letter topics†, â€Å"business email topics†, or â€Å"business report topics." You’ll find lots of great ideas to get started writing. Here are some good report topics. Use these topics to practice writing letters, emails, and reports. Once you have written a practice letter/email/report, upload it to Grammarly (Can you tell we like this tool?) for grammar feedback. This will help you identify your most common grammatical errors for different styles of writing. As with reading, you’ll need to write a variety of texts consistentlyto build and maintain your business English writing skills. Practice Listening to Business English Sometimes, you need to give your eyes and fingers a break from all that reading and writing. You can still strengthen your business English skills even when you are not reading and writing! Try listening to a business podcast on your way to work or while exercising. Here are some good options: â€Å"5 Business Podcasts to Start Listening to in 2016† from Entrepreneur â€Å"The 8 Best Podcasts for Business Savvy Listeners† from Fast Company â€Å"9 Great Business Podcasts You Should Know† from Fortune Remember that podcasts are spoken English, and they tend to be conversational. The language used will often be less formal than most business English writing needs to be. But, podcasts are a great way to expand your vocabulary and knowledge base about a variety of business topics. Plus, they are a nice break from other types of practice. Like everything else, you’ll get the most benefit from listening daily! Pro Tip:Listening to conversational business English will help you to learn idioms and phrasal verbs. Take a Business English Course The methods above are great for independent work. However, to truly improve your business English communication skills, especially writing, you need to take a course that provides you individualized feedback. You need a person, not just a computer program, to tell you exactly where you are shining and where you need to focus your energy. You may find that your grammar is strong, but you need to work on tone, directness, or more appropriate vocabulary. A good course will teach you strategies and an effective process, not just quick business writing tips and tricks. You can take a face-to-face course or an online course. Instructional Solutions offers both onsite and online business writing courses for non-native speakers of English and for native speakers. We focus on context-specific writing practice with individualized feedback in key areas, including grammar, punctuation, tone, and organization. Combining independent practice with abusiness writing course that includes instructor support is the best way to improve your overall business communication skills in English.

buy custom Critical and Creative Thinking essay

buy custom Critical and Creative Thinking essay Critical and creative thinking can be applied in many areas inclusive of the nursing field. In nursing, critical and creative thought can be used for clinical thinking, decision making and action nursing practices. The graduate nurses can apply critical and creative thinking to come up with nursing and other appropriate theories and models and an appropriate ethical framework. They can apply it for research-based knowledge; clinical judgment and decision making skills; creative problem solving practices; evaluation of nursing outcomes and deciding on the best practice; and performing a self-dialog on the professional practice. It is important for the clinicians to think critically and creatively for the best medical outcomes and for the satisfaction of their patients need. The use of critical and creative thinking is very important in the decision on the condition of the patients and the medication and the kind of follow up to be made. When engaging in such practices, the clinicians gain experience in working with different kinds of patients for the better future. The term free will means the motivation to make decisions that are not constrained by external circumstances or by actions such as fate and divine influences. Truth means the actual fact that can be proved. Knowledge is the condition of acquaintance with the facts truth or principles of someone or something gained through the study, investigation, or erudition, exerience or association with it. Opinion is a subjective subject or a personal view, attitude or appraisal that results from ones emotions or interpretation of facts. The four are used when forming thoughts. When responding to a lecturers question for instance, all these aspects will be included. Free will is the part that will allow one to respond freely within reasons, truth allows one to remain faithful to the topic in question, knowledge is the study, investigation and research performed that allows one to deliver facts on the subject matter and opinion guarantees that one will give his or her own views on the subject. The hindrances to critical thinking can be categorized into basic human limitations, hindrance due to use of language, psychological and sociological pitfalls and faulty or logic perceptions. Conformism, prejudice, ethnocentrism, assumptions, relativism or subjectivism, egocentrism, intimidation by authority, memory lapses, ignorance and coincidence are just but a few examples to mention. We will look at perception, egocentrism and intimidation by authority. Perception involves being unaware of ones own perception limitations that can lead to misconception. Egocentrism means defending your views for your own popularity and intimidation by the authority is acting to please the authority. Perception can be solved by referencing other sources for more knowledge. Egocentrism can be solved by understanding that we can also have limitations by our wishful thinkking. Lastly, intimidation by the authority can be solved by recognizing that any appeal to the authority is irrelevant to providin g logic grounds for critical thinking. I once experienced a hindrance when I was stressed up and was to make a decision on student leadership campaign strategy. The physical and emotional hindrance gave me the lowest rank in the pre-election poll. After resolving it through restraining from decision making while stressed up, I emerged the winner. Thinking on the roads and highway billboard message DONT drink and drive, could mean buying drinks and taking them while at home or in the lodging, drinking and hiring a cab or letting someone else to drink for you to drive. I actually thought that it was meant to promote the cab business in the market. The actual meaning of the message is that upon drinking alcohol abusively, there are many dangers imposed to one when driving. You can have an accident on your way home while driving or cause an accident. The results of these would be fatal injuries, distractions or even death. The difference between the actual meaning of the message and the first impression that it causes in the perception is sound. Unless one has a deeper insight into the subject matter of the message, the wrong message can be taken in hence resulting into the worse. The billboards therefore pose as reminders of the dangers in drinking oneself silly and driving. Buy custom Critical and Creative Thinking essay

What is Corporate Taxation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

What is Corporate Taxation - Assignment Example To fund Napoleonic Wars, William Pitt The Younger incorporated the simple process of taxation in Britain in the budget of 1798. And hence the tradition carries on. History of Corporate Tax: In the Finance Act of 1965, the process of uniform taxation for individuals and corporates was abolished and separate Corporate Taxation was started. It is currently governed by the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988, which has also undergone amendment. Advance Corporation Tax (ACT) and its abolition: The advance Corporation Act introduced in 1976 came as a blow to corporates as dividends paid by the corporates were highly and disproportionately taxed. 0n 6 the April 1999, it was abolished by Mr. Gordon Brown, the then vice chancellor of the Exchequer, who is none other than the Prime Minister of Great Britain today. Reduction of Rates by Gordon Brown In 1999: In the budget of 1999 Gordon Brown introduced a more efficient and proportionate taxing system or rate according to the volume of profits, as in opposition to an age-old system of 1965. A budget of 2002: It scrapped the tax on companies earning profits up to 10000 pounds and that witnessed a huge growth in the number of self-employed and small-scale industries. It is still perceived to be a major step in the UK's Corporate Taxation history. (Darmon, 2008) Adoption of Ethical and more scientific Appraisal standards: IFRSs or International Financial Reporting Standards was adopted by European Union in 2005 and hence as well as the UK to promote transparency in taxation system and hence benefited the corporates in general. (Nardi, 2005)Â   Finance Act of 2004: The first of its kind, it promoted the use of legal anti Tax Avoidance Schemes among Corporates. (Public Sector Information, 2004) Finance Act of 2005: For the need of higher revenues, Oil, Gas & Life Insurance companies were targeted in this budget and laws were implemented forcing them to pay lump sum tax installments and that cost these companies heavily. (Public Sector Information, 2005)

Organizational Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Design - Essay Example Organizational Design Orlando Health is a network of privately run, non-profit community and specialty hospitals, located in Orlando, Florida. The network consists of eight health care institutions, and the one which is the focus of this brief report is Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC), which is the only level one trauma center in Central Florida and also the corporation's flagship medical center. Although, the network consists of eight institutions, each one operates independently and works under a decentralized setup. OHCG is at its heart a decentralized one. (Freund 1995). There is a centralized leadership with CEO and top management teams, but each institution functions independently. As far as physical location is concerned, though the main campus of Orlando Health is located with four out of the eight health care institutions including ORMC grouped together in that campus, each one has a separate or decentralized physical setup. This design enables each institution to act independently and also coordinate when there is a need. Focusing on ORMC, it is an 808-bed hospital specializing in trauma, critical care, emergency care, cardiology, orthopedics and neurosciences. (About Us, n. d). So, its function is to treat critically injured patients as part of trauma care, with a dedicated team of certified doctors, nurses and other technicians working 24/7.

Environmental Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environmental Issues - Essay Example The third issue discussed is the ecosystem pricing of goods and services. The fourth outlines the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's position against Precautionary Principle. The last and fifth issue discussed in the paper is paraphrasing the transition to organic agriculture. This paper, therefore, gives a clear and understandable summary of all the issues as discussed in the book. Issue 1 - Precautionary Principle In the book, the argument occurs between Nancy Myers who supports the issue while Goldstein Bernard argues negatively towards the issue. The outline of disagreement between the two principle contributors teaches more about the argument and acts as an analysis of the same. The first disagreement is the beliefs of Nancy Meyer about precautionary principle justifies that the people have a right to know the risks behind the choices intended to make and thus be cautious in exchange of benefits. This gives the people a chance to know as much as possible the dangers on any action. Accor ding to Nancy, the manufacturers increase the possibilities of choosing the options which aim at reducing the risks as a safer alternative to the consumers. On his side, Goldstein Bernard argues that precautionary principle cannot be classified as a threat to the toxicological science. He bases the argument on the fact that, most definitions lack when considering precautionary principle. Another disagreement between Nancy Meyer and Goldstein Bernard is on the risk assessment. There had been arguments in the past that precautionary principle is not needed by the people. Nancy Meyer, on the other hand, argues in a different perspective that risk assessment has been used to derail the application of the precautionary actions appropriately. According to Stein (2000), it is a fact that the assessments of the risks require the decision makers to gather enough information to make the decision. These norms end up in management of the risks rather than preventing them. Nancy’s words w ere once justified by Thompson (2001), who concluded that the standard risk assessment can only be useful in high conditions of uncertainty. This is because it can be utilized to in helping in establishment of better alternative to the technologies which are dangerous. In contrast to the views of Nancy, Goldstein Bernard argues that there are different actions that one can take as a move to precaution. He says that it would be advantageous for one to consider some of the actions under the prevention nomenclature. Goldstein Bernard classifies the prevention actions as primary and secondary prevention. The assumption of the primary preventions is that, there is no problem when starting e.g. a person starting smoking where no cigarettes are produced. He continues to argue that there are no initial problems reported at the initial stage and the primary prevention should, thus, aim in prevention of any action which might trigger problems later. On the other hand, Goldstein Bernard explai ns the secondary prevention to depend on the early discovery of the problems. For example, diagnosing the high blood pressure before the patients gets a stroke. Goldstein Bernard arguments boldly explain that the actions taken as a result of ecological risk assessment and management happens because of being secondary prevention. This is especially when the problem is related to the chemicals which are known to be toxic. There is another

Discuss the ethical issues related to information technology Essay

Discuss the ethical issues related to information technology - Essay Example Organizations should be carefully monitored in the way they use collected data and use private data. Censorship should not be used in a way to deprive human rights and should remain within confines of ethics. The price of reputation; protecting privacy online. (2013, Feb 23).  The Economist,  406, 64-65. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/business/21572240-market-protected-personal-information-about-take-price-reputation This article particularly ties with the learning of LO1 and LO2 in that it proposes some ways in which personal information may be protected. According to the article, many websites provide data manipulation services at the expense of the genuine and well intentioned internet users. For instance, a convicted rape criminal may have a better online personal image than a bank manager through information manipulation. It is proposed that a database depicting real-world reputation be set into place to discourage fake companies from manipulating private data. With internet providing rich or ‘big data,’ many web based companies are increasingly collecting and using private information for financial gains. Many companies collect and use personal information to target advertisement as seen in increasing junk mails. Companies are using social media information to discriminate employees. Within companies, employee emails and online activities are continually being monitored. On the other hand, intellectual property rights are violated every day. Intellectual property simply refers to the legal frameworks protecting intellectual resource such as business secrets, copyrights, trademarks, patented inventions and other intellectual resources to ensure such resources are managed and used ethically and legally. Understanding of intellectual rights marks the beginning to honoring them. For instance, whereas it may be ethical to keep a soft copy of a favorite music track, sharing it may be

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT - Essay Example There can be three different time horizons according to Jackson and Schuler (1990) for which human resource planning can take place – short-term (up to one year), intermediate term (one to three years) and long-term (more than three years). Since it is a growing trend by UK based companies to employ Indian executives for their overseas branches, the planning suggested here is on a long-term basis. Typically there are four phases of human resource planning – collection of data which helps to forecast the human resource demand, the human resource objectives have then to be established, then comes the designing and implementation phase where the organization achieves the human resource objectives (which means staffing, appraising, compensating and training) and finally these programs will have to be monitored and evaluated (Appendix A). For such planning an assessment of the macro environment is necessary both in India and the UK. In addition, the skill requirement has to be assessed as technological change is an ongoing process (MDR, 1997). The specific skill requirement, the unskilled and semi-skill have to be assessed in addition to the qualification of the present employees. The local employment market and the competition has to be assessed which would help in deciding at what stages it would be possible to get skilled people. The micro environment of the industry will give information about employee turnover, the prevalent salary, other terms of employment including promotions and transfers. In today’s world compensation packages do not matter and what matters is to have a talent powered organization consisting of highly motivated, skilled and loyal employees (Gordon, 2002). The recruitment activity requires making employment oppurtunities known to qualified individuals in a manner that proper job specifications are communicated. The required employee qualifications also need to be

Discuss the ethical issues related to information technology Essay

Discuss the ethical issues related to information technology - Essay Example Organizations should be carefully monitored in the way they use collected data and use private data. Censorship should not be used in a way to deprive human rights and should remain within confines of ethics. The price of reputation; protecting privacy online. (2013, Feb 23).  The Economist,  406, 64-65. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/business/21572240-market-protected-personal-information-about-take-price-reputation This article particularly ties with the learning of LO1 and LO2 in that it proposes some ways in which personal information may be protected. According to the article, many websites provide data manipulation services at the expense of the genuine and well intentioned internet users. For instance, a convicted rape criminal may have a better online personal image than a bank manager through information manipulation. It is proposed that a database depicting real-world reputation be set into place to discourage fake companies from manipulating private data. With internet providing rich or ‘big data,’ many web based companies are increasingly collecting and using private information for financial gains. Many companies collect and use personal information to target advertisement as seen in increasing junk mails. Companies are using social media information to discriminate employees. Within companies, employee emails and online activities are continually being monitored. On the other hand, intellectual property rights are violated every day. Intellectual property simply refers to the legal frameworks protecting intellectual resource such as business secrets, copyrights, trademarks, patented inventions and other intellectual resources to ensure such resources are managed and used ethically and legally. Understanding of intellectual rights marks the beginning to honoring them. For instance, whereas it may be ethical to keep a soft copy of a favorite music track, sharing it may be

Asperger's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asperger's - Essay Example There are three main areas where individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome experience difficulties. These include social interaction, social communication and social imagination. These three areas are usually referred as the impairment triads. Individuals with Asperger’s syndrome experience fewer issues with speaking and their intelligence level ranges from average to above average. In general they do not encounter the associated learning disabilities that are often evident amongst individuals with autism but they may experience particular learning issues such as dyspraxia, dyslexia, epilepsy or ADHD. Though it’s a lifetime problem but its symptoms may improve with the passage of time and growing age as the adults with Asperger’s syndrome may learn to comprehend their personal weaknesses and strengths and in turn may enhance their social ability. Moreover, with proper encouragement and support, individuals with Asperger’s syndrome can be enabled to lead an independent complete life (Frith, 1991). According ADDM findings, the prevalence of ASD is more amongst non-Hispanic whites as compared to other ethnicities but with the passage of time the disparity amongst the Hispanics and non-Hispanics has declined significantly with time (Pal, 2013). A huge research body documents that racial and ethnic disparities exist in the diagnosis and intervention plan of ASDs and this may lead to false results depicting in the prevalence of Asperger’s syndrome and other ASDs more in one ethnicity than others. However, the main reason that may be attributed to the increased incidence of Asperger’s syndrome amongst non-Hispanic whites is the institutional factors like clinician prejudices, accessibility of healthcare, symptoms interpretation by families and clinicians as well as the appliance of logical algorithms by clinicians for the detection of ASD. Exploring the causes of Asperger’s Syndrome is still

Germany experienced a period of political Essay Example for Free

Germany experienced a period of political Essay Political calm, spd can’t compromise, Hindenburg causing problems, lack of cooperation between parties causing polarisation but no outright revolutions that happened during 1919-24, growing foreign relations lorcano/treaty of berlin Economic development, result of lorcano meant breathing space from reparations also dawes and young plan and rentenmark – dawes plan borrowed US money lead to increase in capital. Later though fulfilment still causing problems and unemployment pay is causing issues, increase in taxes Social progress, conservative right unhappy and manifests in literature and cinema expressing glory in WW1 contrasts with neue sachlichkiet modern Weimar culture, Bauhaus linking art and functionality. Highlighting social issues within Weimar Overall relative calm but lack of progress, economic development but in short term and social progress but not helping Weimar. The years 1924 to 1929 are often described as the ‘Golden years’ but it is debatable to what extent Germany actually experienced political calm, economic development and social progress during this time. Certainly there was not the turbulence of post-war Germany and the consequences of the crippling Versaille Treaty were not as harsh in this period but this does not mean it was a time of development and progress. It can be suggested that it was not a period ‘of political calm’, there was certainly a lot of tension between the various political parties that made up the many coalition governments in this period, the failure of so many governments alone suggests that there were serious political issues. The narrowing of the interests of each party meant that it was becoming increasingly difficult for effective coalition governments to be formed. The SPD were especially difficult in this time as they were against compromising with the ‘bourgeois parties’ as they felt a change in ideals would occur and proposed policies like the Heidelberg Programme which would see private ownership of industry be taken over by social owners. Obviously many parties from the left felt this but the SPD had the largest amount of seats in the Reichstag, over 150 at their peak in the 20’s, and therefore had the ability to put the government into a stalemate. The SPD’s inability to compromise makes the political stage even worse when Hindenburg is elected as president  in 1925. Hindenburg, being a veteran of the Franco-Prussian war and the general who won the battle of Tannenburg was already conservative and took as many steps as he could to reduce the power the SPD had. Hindenburg also believed the powers of the president should be unrestrained and even blocked a draft that would limit his ability to use Article 48. This incoduscive atmosphere meant that by the time the SPD were willing to cooperate with a coalition government, individual interests and polarisation of parties had developed and no one else was interested. Therefore this cannot be classed as a period of political calm due to the stagnant politica l system. However, it could be suggested that this tension is to be expected as people are still feeling the effects of the First World War and political calm could be defined by the lack of extreme political parties attempting to take over. When this era is compared to the years 1919 to 1924 it is by far a time of political calm as there were no outright attempts at revolution. The years before saw extreme right and left wing idealists try to take over and the fact that this was not attempted during the ‘golden years’ meant it was a time of relative political calm. This is not to mention the successes in Stresemann’s foreign policy, which put Germany back on track to becoming a serious European power once again. The admittance of Germany into the league of nations and the signing of various treaties, such as the Lorcano treaty, meant Germany were in a period of political calm; not experiencing the diplomatic humiliation of the years before. The various treaties signed by Stresemann also helped the economic development in this period. The Dawes gained significant investments from the US and the Young Plan reduced the reparations Germany would have to pay, and set a timescale for how long they would have to pay. This gave the country some ‘breathing space’ to repair and develop its own economy. The young plan, for example, reduced the amount they would have to pay by 1700 million marks than they would in conjunction with the Dawes plan. These plans, alongside the introduction of the rentenmark meant there was an increase in German capital in this period, which can certainly be classed as a period of economic development. Whilst there is definitely evidence of economic development in the mid-1920’s it did also experience financial issues. The increase in unemployment, 15% of the workforce were unemployed by 1929, put a heavy strain on the welfare system of Weimar Germany. The institution for paying unemployment benefits had to borrow money from the Government, 342 million reichsmarks, and the parties could not agree how to find this money. The SPD would increase taxes while the DVP would cut benefits. This can be seen as a backwards move in economic development, as the system did not address the problem of unemployment, but just found more money to pay it, with the decision of how to pay for the unemployment benefits was delayed until 1930. This can be seen as the government almost shooting themselves in the foot and making a short term fix for a long term problem. This short-sightedness can also be argued to be found in Stresemann’s policies, for borrowing money from the US. An international financial crisis would leave over-dependant-on-America Germany in a high amount of debt, which is what happened when the Wall Street Crash occurred. Therefore it can be said that these years were a period of economic development, but that there would be little long term effect on the country from these developments. Social progress is probably the only contention that can be absolutely agreed with, with very influential movements like the Bauhaus dominating this period of time, summed up as Neue Schlachkliet. This movement, saw a progression in modern views and an attempt to undermine the Weimar government by exposing the issues faced through literature, theatre and film. The need for educational and social reform was well documented and although this did not bode well for the Weimar government it definitely showed progress in attitudes of the general public. The conservative nature of many Germans could still be found and also classed as a social progress in the form of anti-democratic writings and films that promoted the glory of the First World war. The two social ideas both grew in this period, but neither celebrated the Weimar Government so whilst it was undoubtedly social progress it was not productive for the Weimar republic. There is definitely a case for political calm, economic development and social progress in the mid-1920’s but they were not necessarily the advances  that would warrant the term ‘golden years’. The political calm was only due to a lack of serious opposition to the government but still they could not successfully form an effective coalition government and whilst the economy did improve in this time the provisions made were short-sighted and the country was over-reliant on foreign investments. Whilst social progress was made in this era it is easy to see that the progress wasnot in the name of democracy and presented the Weimar government with future problems as popular ideology differed from what they promoted.

Sri Lankan fashion designers

Sri Lankan fashion designers 2.1 Sri Lankan amateur fashion designers don’t have a proper platform to showcase their talents. Though many Sri Lankan designers have got lot of talent in this industry, only a very few people are recognized by the society as professional fashion designers. This is mainly due to the unavailability of a platform for amateur fashion designers to showcase their talents. Most of the amateur fashion designers are still trying to thrive in this rapidly changing market while facing many problems. 2.2 Sri Lankan amateur fashion designers don’t have a proper platform that gives the authority to sell their designs. So far most of the amateur fashion designers have collections of their own designs that they’re unable to launch. This is mainly due to the unavailability of a proper platform. Furthermore, the other problem that they face is they don’t get a proper value to their designs even if they somehow manage to launch their designs to the public. This problem can be solved if there was a platform where they can exhibit their designs and sell those. 2.3 Amateur fashion designers in Sri Lanka have less awareness about the industry. Most of the amateur fashion designers in Sri Lanka don’t receive a proper education about the industry. Although they have the talent, creativity and innovativeness their designing is not up to standards because the knowledge they have about the industry is poor. A proper platform, which would allow them to read and self-study about the trends and the industry, will help them develop their creativity. It will help them to create their own standards and as a whole it will aid in flourishing Sri Lankan fashion industry, 2.4 Amateur fashion designers may not have enough resources or a capital to manufacture their designs (Financial problems) Even thou these fashion designers got new innovative designs they don’t have a proper way to manufacture these designs due to financial problems or they couldn’t find a manufacturer to manufacture. But if they have a platform where they can contact with entrepreneurs and manufactures, they can manufacture there designs and will have a chance to sell them to the public. 2.5 Amateur fashion designers in Sri Lanka are having lack of knowledge about fashion designing. Most of the amateur fashion designers don’t have good background knowledge about fashion designing techniques. They are good at drowning but it’s not quite enough for a standard fashion design. This is a huge impact to the fashion industry because the designs which these amateurs come up with are not up to the standard. 2.6 Low knowledge transfer between Professional fashion designers and amateur fashion designers. Undoubtedly, there are talented professional designers in Sri Lanka with years of experience. Lack of a proper platform causes them to hold their knowledge to themselves without sharing. Such platform will help in developing the fashion designers knowledge on fashion and designing and will also help to give an idea to the society about fashion. 2.7 There is no proper platform that people who like fashion designing can share their ideas or information with others. ( International opportunities are not communicated properly ) It is seen now that the more and more Sri Lankan fashion is connecting with the international events that happen. The British council and the AOD (Academy of Design) in Sri Lanka are in the mission of taking the Sri Lankan fashion industry to a global scale.(Mendis, 2011) But the opportunity is limited to a certain number of people who will get to know about the news, certainly the students at AOD. The events that are targeted in global scale needs to be communicated to the whole country and there is no common place to share the news about such events. Thus, the international opportunities are missed by lot of talented people. When it comes to sponsors or the people who are interested in fashion, mostly they are not updated about the latest trends. Therefore they have less idea on what type of designs they should invest on. This is mainly due to the lack of knowledge and knowledge transfers. Being the single largest industry in the country, Theapparel industryof Sri Lanka employs about 15% of the countrys workforce, accounting for about half of the countrys total exports, and Sri Lanka is among the topapparel-producing countries in the world relative to its population Sri Lanka Design Festival 2009 – A huge boost for countrys apparel industry.Daily Mirror. 19 November 2009. No value to the designs ‘The fashion design industry in Sri Lanka was almost non-existent about three years ago whereas today the local stores are earning around US Dollar 10 million annually. The local retailers of the local fashion labels have the potential to reach US Dollar 500 million in the next few years’ [1]. Fashion has taken on a new element in the local market with a number of Sri Lankan designers aspiring to become big names in the business of fashion with potential of turnovers topping US$500 million. The local retailers of the local fashion labels have the potential to touch US$500 million in the next two years, Ajai V. Singh, founder of the Colombo Fashion Week, told the Business Times. Drucker (2000) cited in [4] proclaims entrepreneurship as comprising of five parameters: creating new markets, delivering value to customer, providing something new, changing customer value, and process innovation. In the same vein, entrepreneur has been identified as ‘an individual responsible for the process of creating new value’ (an innovation and/or a new organisation) [5]. Designs can be made in one day but giving them a proper value is not as easy as such, getting a proper value to a design is one of the most important thing that needs but yet amateur fashion designers fails at this. Being the newbie to the market amateur fashion designers have to compare their designs with the professional designers, cause of this the value of the design is decreases. Because of this the market value of the product all so decreases. When these designs came into actual products the value of the product get decrease case of having no proper value to the design. Couldn’t manufacturer and sell them http://smallbusiness.chron.com/sell-fashion-idea-13207.html http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/break-into-fashion-industry.html Due to the cyclical nature of the industry, typically when assistance is needed, out-sourcing operations (e.g. pattern making or machining) is the preferred option with most designers having dedicated contractors who work for them during particular phases in the production cycle [8]. No market for products http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219578 Fashion is a blooming market in Sri Lanka, everyone tries to get in to this market with some sort of a product. Most of them are not willing to stay long, they just need to sell whatever they got and quit. Because of this the market is huge. Everyone sells their products at a cheap rate without even considering the actual market price of their products. Because of this the market is scrambled and when it comes to an amateur fashion designer who plans to stay here for a long and to get a proper brand name to their products comes up with an huge problem, cause the market doesn’t needs a proper brand or a proper value to their products cause of these short time market sellers. Hard to find manufacturers cause these people are not the big order manufacturers http://searchingforstyle.com/2012/10/fashion-101-how-to-find-a-manufacturer/ Believe it or not finding a good manufacturer is probably the second biggest challenge whenstartinga fashion company, second only to successfully wholesaling your product. I know of many, many production nightmares, and now I am adamant that a good, reliable manufacturer is essential to start a fashion company. Basically, you can’t really start selling, or even promoting your company without solid manufacturing, unless you plan on making the production runs yourself. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, thesamplesyou show to buyers must be close to identical to the ones you will be delivering when they place an order. If you are making delicate bias-cut chiffon dresses, you need to make sure that you can find a factory who will be able to make them as nicely as you can make them in your studio. Secondly, you cannot cost a garmentwithoutknowing how much it will cost in production. I have tried to do this before (with another company), it was a disaster. You usually can’t guess how much it will cost in production, and you must have accurate production prices to properly calculate your wholesale or retail prices. Advisers is vital but not here Reference [19] defines creativity as ‘divergent thinking to conceive new ideas’. Creativity is frequently a defining feature of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship research has produced increasing evidence that personal and professional networks are crucial in both founding and nurturing new ventures. Hence entrepreneurs who can rely on broad and diverse networks tend to be more successful [4], [6], [21]. networks and relationships as core to the concept of social capital [14]. The dominant assumption of the strategy-oriented literature is that success is primarily dependent upon the entrepreneur’s ability to develop and execute effective strategies [22]. On the one hand, fashion design is typically portrayed as ‘tied to the individual and his or her creativity’. On the other hand, ‘circumstances that allow design to occur within a commercial context are predominantly social’ [8]. With the industry now blooming in the wake of a number of students passing out as designers with capabilities of competing even on a global scale, a new industry has awoken. The fashion design industry in Sri Lanka was almost non-existent about three years ago whereas today these stores are earning around US$10 million annually. Knowledge transfer is one of the vital aspects of perfecting an industry. Even to develop fashion industry they need to share their knowledge between each other. Not everyone has a degree on fashion designing. Few of them have degrees related to fashion designing while many others design their designs for the instints of them or for fun and because of their designing talent. And also there are only few institutes which offer fashion designing degrees and not everyone is wealthy enough to have such a degree. No platform where everything in one place. Share the knowledge they gathered with each other

Virtual Communities, Open Communication, and the End of Nationalism :: Functions of Communication

People have boundaries that are constructed by them to keep unwanted intruders from penetrating. Similarly, countries have the same type of boundaries and borders, both serve as checkpoints and to identify what is trying to penetrate their borders. If we would be willing to create a stronger sense of tolerance and equality, rather than such a strong sense of nationalistic views that tend to separate people, using the technology of the 21st century, then we can actually harness the power, and break down our boundaries both physical and emotional in nature. From Gutenbergs printing press to Thomas Edisons telephone, technology has advanced our lives in many ways. The 21st century is considered to be the computer age, because of the advancement of computers. Whether you go to a school or use a public facility, there are computers at the read for almost anyone who needs one. Computers have paved the way for a stronger communication link between people, whether its across the street or across the world. Computers, also, have helped create a sense of togetherness by creating what has been dubbed as a Virtual Community. In these communities people can come together and unite to share their common characteristics or thoughts, regardless of who is on the other end. John Perry Barlow, a writer and the author of , Is There a There in Cyberspace? describes virtual communities as, A new locale of human community-never mind that the whole thing was being conducted in were words by minds from whom the bodies had been amputated. Never mind that all these people were deaf, dumb, and blind as paramecia or that their town had neither four seasons nor sunsets nor smells (165). Barlows thoughts are that no matter who you are, you can be apart of a community that fits you. The bonds that hold the communities together are a strong relationship and common level for a particular thing, view, and or person. John Hockenberry, who is a news correspondent for NBC, and was a host for the MSNBC show Edgewise, wrote the article, The End of Nationalism?, which speaks about how computers can help countries come together and end our strong sense of nationalism and break down the walls that we put up. To allow people to communicate with those who they traditionally would not socialize would be a real step toward a more peaceful society. In Hockenberrys article End of Nationalism he says, Today it is possible to address the world without having to show a passport that identifies you culturally, ethnically, and religiously (264).

The World Trade Organization Essay -- International Monetary Fund

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is today seen as one of the pillars of international trade and financial systems of the world alongside the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, despite being only sixteen years old. With what began as the succession to the previous guidelines and rules set out by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade back in 1948, it is now seen as the ‘main unifying force of world trade today’ a key player in both the conduct of trade relations and global governance. (Herman, 1999) Today, as the world’s economy and its nations continue to change and grow together with the global business environment itself, the WTO has faced new challenges and perhaps its biggest challenges to date which question the relevance and future of the WTO. The essay will address such concepts through the analysis of the WTO’s main role, the importance and successes of the WTO to date, the challenges it currently faces and a look towards its pote ntial relevance in the future of world trade. The discussion will be aided through the use of published data, literature, online sources and journals. (WTO, Trading into the future 2011) Beginning with only 23 members, the WTO currently stands at 153 members representing a total of 97% of all world trade although this is set to increase following Russia’s accession into the WTO. This statistic details the importance of the WTO as the only international body that deals with the rules of trade between nations. (Hamilton, Webster 2009) The WTO was created as the previous system the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), needed an institutional and stronger framework to allow them to drive forward policies and advice. The WTO’s overriding principle is to help free trade,... ...ineffective with the growing number and diversity of members. Suggestions to overcome the problem include ‘Critical-Mass’ thinking and the creation of smaller groups of members based on similar trading characteristics may improve the system. In light of the recent financial crisis the role of the WTO is critical, in which its positive impact on world trade to date may become forgotten in light of recent criticisms. The WTO needs correct leadership to overcome the challenges today, to maintain its future survival and ensure it continues to be of success and further improve world trade. If change is not implemented successfully, the great negotiation forum it once was it will instead result in a forum in which the great members will struggle to compromise on trade issues thus harming the WTO’s main purpose which is to encourage the growth of world trade.

Educational psychology Essay

From 1834, the year of emancipation of slaves in Dominica and the other British West Indian colonies to 1845, the popular education that was existent was really religious education. The concept of a state system of education in the West Indies emerged in Britain in 1833 as part of the act to emancipate slaves in British custody. Prior to that, the masses of the people had practically no formal education. In Dominica, from 1834 onwards, the British subsidized primary education through grants but basically, education was imported and promoted mainly by missionaries. The content of education was divorced from the interests and needs of the masses and the community. Emphasis was on the classics and the arts. There is little doubt that the churches original interest in education was the creation of influential educated elite. In practice, their interests were denominational, especially seen in the establishment of secondary schools. Proposed educational policies depended greatly on the availability of funds, which were always insufficient. Therefore, changes and reforms were minimal. The newly elected legislative councils and their leaders gave little support. In reality, education, in practice was for a privileged minority. The populace remained virtually ignorant and illiterate. The pre-emancipation society was therefore not in any sense an educated one. Where slaves received any instruction at all it was of a religious nature provided by the church at long intervals. The authorities had no aims or standards; hence there was no system of formal education. It was against this background that the British Imperial Government incorporated an education grant in the 1833 Act of Emancipation to assist in the educational development of the Negroes. Establishing schools for the masses was provided for by the Act, which included grant money from the imperial government to provide education in the ex-slave colonies. This grant money is known as the Negro Education Grant. It was regarded as an urgent matter. The total grant amounted to a mere ? 30,000 per annum for five years for all the BWI of almost one million people. The decision to allocate the grant was executed through the local legislatures and the religious bodies. The grant was decreased each year and ended in 1845. The denominations were offered financial help to build schools, and later to assist in the payment of teachers’ salaries as the best means of developing a system of education. Dominica’s share of the Grant amounted only to ? 600 to be spent on 14,000 ex-slaves. This amount was very insignificant and was spent mainly by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPCK). After two years it became apparent that the desired and intended results were not forthcoming because of the many difficulties faced. Some churches were unable to accept more grants because they could not bear the recurrent expenditure on their schools. In August 1837, the grant was switched to pay one-third of teachers’ salaries instead. This was insufficient, and the societies did not expand their operations further. As the expected expansion did not materialise the imperial government was disappointed. Hence, the union of the imperial government, local legislatures and the churches could not fulfil the early ambition to create a viable education system. Thus, in 1841, the imperial government started to withdraw the fund. The Mico trustees who had done the most protested, but to no avail. In 1845 it came to an end, and so the burden fell on the West Indian legislatures and workers to increasingly support the education of their own children. In Dominica, the drive towards education for the masses was assisted by the local legislature, thus complimenting the work done by charities and the churches so that by July 1840, Dominica had 20 schools, 10 teachers, 1,086 pupils and total average attendance was 750. The British Imperial Government gave two main reasons for ending the NEG: 1. English workers were said to be worse-off than West-Indian workers 2. The Baptists were said to be prospering – although they had refused all aid Both claims were false. The churches lacked both money and resources. The British felt in the case of Dominica that the Catholic Church could not and would not provide appropriate education. They therefore supported alternatives to church schools. They decided to provide secular schools and to withdraw grants to the church schools. This was strongly opposed until a compromise was reached. The main success of the period of the NEG was the idea of popular education. The Provision of Secondary Education in Dominica: Providers and Gender Issues From the foregoing, one can appreciate the fact that the provision of education was a task that involved the participation of several providers or stakeholders: The British Imperial Authority, the Local Legislature or Assembly, the Church (especially the Catholics) and the Charities (especially the Mico Trust). Prior to emancipation, the provision of education was the responsibility of the churches and the charities. Education was very limited and very few benefited. In reality, what ever was taught was basically religious education. With the passage of the Act of Emancipation, an attempt was made to establish popular education. The NEG thus provided the needed funds for this purpose but eventually ended in failure. These funds were channelled through the bodies mentioned above, especially through the charities and the churches. By 1868 the main providers were mainly the state (the Local Legislature) and the church. It must not be forgotten that the vast majority of the population were Catholics and therefore co-operation and compromise between the two bodies were of paramount importance. By that date, the majority of primary schools belonged to the state i. e. 18 out of 33 (54%). This was unique, for no other West Indian society had such participation by the state in educational provision. In the case of secondary education, the provision was by the Church (Catholic). The first establishment for the provision of secondary education was the Convent High School (CHS) in 1858. This was exclusively for the children of the local elite. The children of the rural peasantry and the working classes were excluded. The state provided some funds for the school. But there were no secondary education provided for the masses. It is again unique to Dominica in that early period that post-primary education was being provided only to girls when this gender was marginalized in the rest of the W. I and in Britain itself. Even today, in 2000, over 65% of secondary school students are girls. The figures for the Clifton Dupigny Community College, University of Technology (Jamaica) and University of the West Indies are roughly the same. In the case of Dominica, male marginalisation has had a long history, contrary to popular opinion. Due to mounting pressure and clamour for secondary education for boys and the children of the masses, the state established the Dominica Grammar School (DGS) on the 16th of January 1893, with a registration list of 25 boys under the headmastership of one tutor, Mr. W. Skinner (M. A – a graduate from Catherine’s College, Cambridge, England). It was to be run as a government school, with the aim to provide higher education for boys. The building being used was a personal gift from Mr. Dawbiney, a respectable Jamaican who had settled in the island. The DGS remained a boy’s school until 1972. This occurred at a time when the number of girls selected by the Common Entrance Examinations far surpassed that of boys. The first DGS girls came from the CHS and the WHS. The total number of girls on the roll for that year totalled 34 out of a total of 560 students. Thus a reluctant but necessary era commenced in that year – the DGS becoming a co-educational institution under the headship of Mr. J. K. Gough (B. Sc; Dip. Ed. from Scotland). In that same year there were 14 Dominican staff members who were university graduates. Not to be outdone by the Catholics, the Wesleyan Society (Methodists) following the tradition of their rivals, opened the second high school for girls in the island, the Wesley High School (WHS) in October 1927. By that year, 80% of the students accessing secondary education were girls. This again was a unique situation second to none in the W. I. This further marginalized the boys given the restrictive and limited nature of access at the time. At this juncture, it is necessary to appreciate the great effort expended by the churches in the provision of secondary education in the island of Dominica, albeit for denominational reasons. In 1932, the Christian Brothers (Catholics) opened the second educational establishment providing secondary education for boys, the Saint Mary’s Academy (SMA). By that year educational provision was roughly equal for both genders with boys now having the slight edge, notwithstanding the fact that the girls were doing better in entrance and scholarship exams. There were insufficient spaces available. An entrance examination would soon be rigorously applied to ration out, select and match the number of students to the available supply of places. This state of inequitable affairs became unbearable as the girls were now being marginalized in favour of boys who were securing less ‘passes’ than girls in the exams. In other words, the selection was a function of available places. The two boys’ schools had more places than the two girls’ schools. Therefore, fewer girls were selected although their average scores were higher than that of boys who secured places. In the1972/1973 school year, the Labour government of Mr. Edward Oliver Leblanc took the bold step to make the DGS co-educational. This occurred at a time when the number of girls who had succeeded at the Common Entrance Examinations far surpassed that of boys. Since then, girls have kept on increasing the education gap or divide to the extent that in Dominica and the West Indies this problem of ‘male marginalisation’ and ‘male underachievement’ and the like, have now become so serious that it threatens the whole concept of male patriarchy. The year 1972 has been regarded as a milestone in Dominica’s educational history as far as secondary education is concerned. From that year all new secondary schools have opted to become co-educational with the exception of the Saint Martin’s Secondary School in 1988. Another important milestone in our educational history is the year 1971. For the first time, secondary educational provision moved out of Roseau with the establishment of the co-educational Portsmouth Secondary School (PSS). This greatly reduced the cost burden to parents in the northwest, north and northeast of the island, who, hitherto had to make tremendous sacrifices to provide education for their children in the capital, Roseau. By 1974, the Common Entrance Examinations as a selector of educational life chances was psychologically so devastating to pupils that those who were not selected felt that they were ‘rejects’ and ‘failures’ with no hope or future. It was against this backdrop that a group of concerned persons headed by Ms. Jean Finucane-James decided to provide a ‘second chance’ to those pupils that was not based on a selective exam. This co-educational school was named the Dominica Community High School (DCHS). Apart from the PSS, the early 1970s were characterised for having secondary education concentrated in the capital city of Roseau. The ‘70s was a period of political upheaval. In August 1979, Hurricane David struck and the island was devastated: 43 deaths, massive destruction of crops and the forest, wildlife was decimated, schools and the social and economic infrastructure was destroyed. The economy came to a standstill. Educationally, the students suffered greatly. A large number of students from the northeast could not attend the Roseau schools. In the aftermath of the hurricane, two schools were opened in the northeast: St. Andrew’s High School (SAHS) in 1979, located in Londonderry which is run and operated by the Methodists and in 1980, the Marigot Foundation High School (MFHS) headed by Mr. Martin Roberts, a former Methodist minister. The last named school was eventually renamed the Marigot Secondary School (MSS) when in 1999 it passed over to the state. These two schools are co-educational institutions. In this catchment area the Common Entrance Exams consistently selects more girls than boys. In the 1980s four schools were established. In 1981, the Seventh-Day Adventists began to provide secondary education. The Seventh-day Adventist Secondary School (SASS) is located in the Portsmouth suburb of Granvillia. It is a co-ed school. In that very same year the co-ed St. Joseph Campus of the DGS was opened which later became a separate entity as the St. Joseph Secondary School. In 1996 it was renamed the Isaiah Thomas Secondary School. In 1988, two government co-ed secondary schools were established from what were formerly Junior Secondary Programmes: the Goodwill Secondary School (GSS) and the Grand Bay Secondary School (GBSS). In that same year, the Catholic–run St. Martin’s School for girls upgraded its technical/vocational wing into a fully-fledged secondary school called the St. Martin’s Secondary School (SMSS). With the opening of these new schools and the continued use of the Common Entrance Exams the gender balance continue to be in favour of girls to the detriment of boys. In October 1994 the Nehemiah Christian Foundation headed by Mrs. Rhoda George opened the Nehemiah Comprehensive School with 60 boys and girls. The school is located in Jimmit, Mahaut. In the financial year 1995/96 the government entered into a loan agreement  with the World Bank to fund the Basic Education Reform Project (BERP). One of the three main objectives of the project was to expand access to secondary education. Under the project, this objective was fulfilled in the co-ed Castle Bruce Secondary School (CBSS) in 1998. TABLE I DOMINICA: Academic Secondary Schools, 2002/03 |School |Year Founded |Boys |Girls |Total |Status | |Convent High School | | | | | | | |1858 |0 |493 |493 |Assisted | |Dominica Grammar School |1893 |518 |281 |799 |State | |Wesley High School |1927 |0 |287 |287 |Assisted | |St. Mary’s Academy |1932 |420 |0 |420 |Assisted | |Portsmouth Secondary School |1971 |402 |435 |837 |State | |Dominica Community High School |1975 |79 |46 |125 |Assisted | |St. Andrew’s High School |1979 |233 |292 |525 |Assisted | |Marigot Secondary School |1980 |86 |59 |145 |Assisted | |Isaiah Thomas Secondary School |1981 |312 |393 |705 |State | |SDA Secondary School |1981 |108 |87 |195 |Private | |St. Martin’s Secondary School |1988 |0 |306 |306 |Assisted | |Goodwill Secondary School |1988 |380 |262 |642. |State | |Grand Bay Secondary School |1988 |334 |343 |677 |State | |Nehemiah Comprehensive School |1994 |64 |73 |137 |Assisted | |Castle Bruce Secondary School |1998 |266 |291 |557 |State | |Orion Academy |2003 | | | |Private | |Total | |3 202 |3 648 |6 850 | | Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, 2002/03 The School Curriculum Several factors impinge on the development of the curriculum in Dominica: slavery, colonialism, politics, economics, religion, socio-cultural biases, parents, teachers and the learners themselves. In the pre-emancipation era the curriculum that existed was of a religious nature. The society was largely illiterate and ignorant. There existed no notion or idea of popular or mass education. With emancipation in 1834, the rudiments of a system of education began to take shape. The limited curriculum was non-scientific and bookishly academic based on rote and memory teaching and learning. By 1868, as the primary system took root the three r’s were taught namely reading, writing and arithmetic. The system that was taking shape was one that would provide labourers and servants and no more. At the secondary level, the curriculum catered for the children of the elite: Maths, Science, Geography, English, Greek, and Latin. The colonial powers and the local legislatures controlled the educational system. In other words, the ruling elites/classes decided who should be taught, what should be taught, when, how and where. The entire process from start to finish was decided for the learner. In 1899, Agriculture was being promoted as a subject to be taught so that the learner would become an agricultural labourer or worker on an estate or join the ranks of the impoverished peasantry. So agricultural schools were encouraged. In this way the islands would remain as sources of primary agricultural produce. When the British abolished the local legislatures and imposed direct crown colony rule the curriculum again was being used as a tool to keep the masses in their place. It limited them to learn the basics and agriculture. Attempts were made to improve education at the end of the First World War (1914-1918): salaries to teachers, payments by results and attempts at compulsory education. The West Indian Conference in Dominica in 1932 urged the region to struggle for compulsory education among other things. This failed. In 1957, the ministerial system was brought to Dominica with some exercise of authority by the house of assembly. But power still lied with the British parliament. Budgets could be passed, but had to be approved by Britain. In 1967, Dominica became an associate state with Gt. Britain. All internal matters were under local jurisdiction, but foreign affairs, trade and defence resided with Gt. Britain. Dominica could now influence and shape educational progress, but very little happened. The primary system continued to develop. The high schools became stagnant. The last one to be established was in 1936 (SMA). Thirty-seven years passed before the next one, the PSS was established. By 1978, the curriculum at the primary was now being driven by the Common Entrance Examinations to the detriment of all else. The same thing could be found at the secondary schools. The entire curriculum was driven by foreign external examinations. The foreign element was removed in 1985 when we switched from the Cambridge and London GCE ‘O’ Levels to the regionally based CXC examinations. But the GCE ‘A’ Levels still continue to dictate the curriculum at the post-secondary level. In 1998, CXC began to test pilot its own ‘A’ Levels known as CAPE, which will soon replace the English-based GCE ‘A’ Levels. The School Curriculum and Examinations The CXC and the GCE curriculum dictate the locus and focus of secondary education in Dominica. These exams cater for the 30-40% of the ability range of secondary students. The entire curriculum was driven by foreign external examinations. The foreign element was removed in 1985 when we switched from the Cambridge and London GCE ‘O’ Levels to the regionally based CXC examinations. But the GCE ‘A’ Levels still continue to dictate the curriculum at the post-secondary level. In 1998, CXC began to test pilot its own ‘A’ Levels known as CAPE, which will soon replace the English-based GCE ‘A’ Levels. The HSC, LSC and GCE dominated the curriculum of secondary schools since the 1880s. The failure rates were very high at both the ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels. It was also a drain on the scarce resources of the region. The minimum of 5 ‘O’ Level subjects were required to move into the sixth form and five subjects were needed of which 2 must be at ‘A’ Level for university entry. The Caribbean was influenced by educational and curriculum developments in North America and Europe, especially Britain. Revolutionary curricular changes in maths and science were being undertaken in the USA as a result of the Russian success in Sputnik I. In the U. K, the Nuffield Foundation invested heavily in a science development project. In 1969-70, the West Indian Science Curriculum Innovation Project (WISCIP) began at St. Augustine, UWI, and Trinidad. It was a new approach with emphasis on enquiry and experimentation, understanding and constructive thinking. This was introduced in the DGS and the other high schools of the time. During that same period ‘New Mathematics’ was introduced in the schools’ curriculum. All five of the secondary schools in Dominica adopted it. The Convent High School had their first ‘O’ Level candidates in 1971, and the DGS in 1972. Results in all Caribbean schools were not so good at first because of the unfamiliarity with the new approaches and topics such as inverses, identities, algebra of sets and matrices, decimalisation and metrification, vectors, inequalities and topology. At first most of the schools used the School Mathematics Project (SMP) books, but these were replaced by the Joint Schools Project (Caribbean edition) series, as part of the CEDO/UNESCO/UWI Caribbean Mathematics Project. The CXC was established in 1972 to serve the Commonwealth Caribbean. The process took over 10 years. The CXC was to replace the GCE exams. It would develop syllabi, conduct exams and issue certificates. This was a form of asserting cultural and intellectual independence from our colonial past and from Britain. Politically, the Caribbean has eschewed integration. There was the West Indian Federation as colonies of Britain (1958-1962). It ended in failure due to insularity, nationalism and dependency. With independence, the nations can dictate their educational goals and match these to national needs. In Dominica, we have not had a long history of educational reforms established in law. In 1949 an Education Act was passed to regulate and govern the sector. This was changed in 1997 when the new Education Act was passed. This was part of an attempt to harmonise education legislation in the Eastern Caribbean. In 1995 the Basic Education Reform Project was launched (BERP). The Project had three main objectives: 1. to strengthen the management and planning capacity of the Ministry, 2. to enhance the quality of education, and 3. to expand and conserve school places. Economically, we live in an interdependent world, a global village. We are partners bargaining from a position of weakness. Unequal terms of trade, onerous foreign debts, trade deficits and balance of payment problems deplete our resources so that our educational budgets are severely constrained. In general (1999 – 2004), Dominica spends about 17% of its recurrent budget on education, 1-2% on materials and supplies and about 80% on personal emoluments. New Curriculum Developments. Primary schools follow a curriculum, which has recently been reviewed by the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU). Schools have been provided with curriculum guides for English Language, Mathematics and General Science for Grades K to 6. Curriculum guides for Social Studies, Mathematics, Science and English Language were to become available in September 1999 for grades K to 6. A curriculum guide for Social Studies has been prepared for Form 1 at the secondary level. Workbooks for Grades k to 3 for English were to have been made available from September 1999. In addition a curriculum guide for Health and Family Life covering primary and secondary age ranges is being monitored and supported in schools. A draft national policy for this was presented to Cabinet in August 1998 but has not yet been officially approved. The CDU has planned to review Music, PE, Art and Craft, and Agriculture in 2001 as well as to start writing and production of support materials for pupils and teachers. The revised primary schools curriculum appears to be appropriate at the national level. The main problem appears to be in its delivery. The main need at the primary level for curriculum development is in relation to adapting the teacher’s guides for multigrade teaching and provision of differentiated activities for all subjects and all classrooms. Dominica does not have a National Curriculum and therefore, the curriculum de facto is determined by each school and in practice is closely related to the requirements of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) other external examinations and higher ability students. A balance needs to be struck between the academic and practical skills education in the secondary sector in any future national curriculum. The Ministry of Education has outlined the following process to arrive at the promulgation and implementation of the National Curriculum (NC): National Curriculum Committee (NCC) established in school year 1999/2000 NCC reviews existing curriculum: locally and regionally Under the NCC, Subject Teams and Subject Areas are established Development of Syllabi, and Curriculum Guides in Core Subject Areas Curriculum Training of Staff/Subject Team Members Resource Provision First Draft National Curriculum in Core Subject Areas Review of Draft Curriculum Development of Curricula in other subject areas. Establishment of National Norms and Standards for all subjects Piloting of National Curriculum in a cross-section of schools Promulgation of National Curriculum by Minister of Education Use by all schools of the National Curriculum as of September 2003 The Secondary Education Support Project (SESP) had been working with the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) to write and pilot a revised curriculum for Forms 1 to 3 in the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, incorporating activities for average and below average ability pupils. Drafts of curriculum guides for Form 1 have been completed and were made available to schools in September 1999. All the guides for the four core subjects were made available in 2001. The CDU also has completed work in Music, Art, Craft, and Agriculture. However, the major curriculum need resides in the consideration of a curriculum which will meet the needs of all students – academic, technical/vocational, aesthetic, spiritual, moral and for citizenship and fulfill the ambitions set out in the 1997 Education Act. This would be especially so when Universal Secondary Education is achieved.